The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-03-10

thrice happy Spain! wherein arc born
children and men ready armed" The
Toledo blades are highly esteemed in
England, as shown by several passages
in Ben Jonson, Butler and Shakespeare.
1t is scarcely necessary to say that the
/ cspadas 7olcdanas were not less priced
in Spain.
The author of the "Vida dc Lazarillo
dc Tornes." who wrote in 1925, thus
causes Toledan squire, who served
his hero, to speak of sword: 20, il
thou only knewest, boy, what weapon
I have here! Not for all the yellow gold
in the world would sell it; for in all
the blades that Antonio hath wrought,
none equaleth this onc."
The steel used by the espaderos of
Madrid was obtained in an iron mine,
situated about three miles from Man
dragon, in the Basque provinces.
| victorious sword! Thy blade is of
Mandragon. and thou vast tempered at
| Toledo"
According to Palomeus, a Toledan
sword-maker of the last century, it is an
error to suppose that the Toledans pre-
| served particular secrets for the temper
ing of their arms. They were COM
PEELED to use the water of the Tagus, as
well as the fine white sand that the
river contains in its bed. The sand, to
the experts, served for the operation of
what they termed retrescar la calda, to
cool the heat; for when the metal be-
came red, and commenced to throw off
sparks, the espaderos instantly sprinkled
1t with this sand. The blade formed,
they proceeded to temper it in the fol-
lowing manner: Part of the middle of
the fire was followed out, and in the
hollow was placed the blade, so that
four-fifths of it only was exposed to the
fire. the tongue and hilt resting outside.
The blade having become cherry red,
they plunged the point into u wooden
reservoir, full of the water of the Tagus;
and having once cooled it, they straight
ened it as much as was desirable. They
then subjected such of the blade as had
not hitherto been exposed to the fire;
and when it commenced to rcdden,
they took it by the tongue with red-hot
pinchcrs. and plunged it into sheep suet
until it cooled, an operation which i'm.
parted temper to it.
The most ancient Toledan espadcro,
or sword-maker, of whom mention is
made, is Julian. surnamed el Moro, or
the Moor. on account of his coming
from Granada, where he worked toward
the end of the fifteenth century for King
Boabdil. They also surnamed him
Julian del Ray. because upon his con-
version to Christianity, had for a god
father no less illustrious parsonage
than Ferdinand, the Catholic.
Having hired a conveyance drawn by
pair of gayly caparsoned mules, the
driver wearing pork-pie hat and q
blood-red sash, was driven out to the
Fabrica de Armas, which is situated on
the right bank of the Tagus, about a
mile and half outside of the city walls
This sole manufactory of Toledan blades
is very unpretentious building of rec
tangular form, completed. rs the in
scription over the entrance informed
me, in 1880. Charles ILL.,, who made
so many efforts to encourage Spanish
manufacture, resolved upon revivifying
the ancient craft of the espaderos, and
constructed the factory. So low had
the reputation of the Toledan espaderos
fallen, that the king was compelled to
send to Valencia for maker of swords,
Luis CalistO, whom he appointed di-
rector of the works.
A very polite. mutton-chop whiskered
official escorted me over the works
for this mandatory is to-day used in
the fabrication of arms for the army
and explained the process for sword.
making in use at present. The ancient
mode of manufacture has been aban-
doned, both as regards forging and
tempering, whilst the iron now employed
comes from Germany. The sand of the
Tagus is no longer used, and the sheep
suet is replaced by soap. However, the
arms still turned out are of excellent
gu ,lity. and in the sala de pr,scntas, or
proof-room, I had the satisfaction of
testing blades that rolled themselves
several times upon themselves like SER
pents. and that sprang into straightness
in q flash. 81.
But that which has been lost is the
form and elegance. invested in a
blade. as in duty bound. paying. there
for. about twenty-three dollars, but it
is no longer in Toledo that the good
blades are found; they are snapped up
by museums and by collectors, the pc
rillo fetching up to two hundred and
fifty dollars. My bachelor friend is en-
chanted with his blade. He has sus-
pended ii from the ceiling. and / care
fully avoid that portion of the room over
which, like the sword of Damocles. it SO
threateningly hangs.-Nugent Robin
SON, in Youths Companion.